Shamim Ara
شمیم آرا
Born	Putli Bai (1938-03-22)22 March 1938 Aligarh,United Provinces,British India
Died	5 August 2016(2016-08-05) (aged 78) London,England
Other names	The Tragic Beauty[1]
Occupations	Actress Film producer Film director inPakistan
Years active	1956 – 2010
Spouses	Sardar Rind Abdul Majid Karim Fareed Ahmed Dabeer-ul-Hasan ​ (before 2016)​
Children	Salman Majid Carim (son)

Shamim Ara (22 March 1938 – 5 August 2016)^[2] was aPakistanifilm actress, director, and producer.^[3] She was known asThe Tragic Beauty because of the tragic heroine roles she often portrayed in films.^[1] She was one of the most popular actresses of her time and was one of the most successful actresses of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.^[1] She is regarded as one of the most influential actresses of all time in Pakistani cinema.^[3][4]

She was bornPutli Bai inAligarh,British India in 1938 but later adopted the film name Shamim Ara.^[4][5] Her acting career spans from the late 1950s till the early 1970s.^[5]

In 1956, Putli Bai's family was visiting some relatives inLahore, Pakistan, when, after a chance meeting with the well-known film director, Najam Naqvi, she was signed for his next movie.^[4][5] He was searching for a new face for his filmKanwari Bewah (1956) and was impressed by her cute face, sweet voice, approachable personality, and innocent yet inviting smile. It was Najam Naqvi who introduced her under the stage name Shamim Ara, because her previous name was similar to the infamousdacoitPutli Bai. Though the film did not attract many viewers, a noticeable new female star had appeared on the horizon of thePakistan film industry.^[4][5]

She had her first prominent role in 1958 inAnwar Kamal Pasha'sAnarkali as a Surayya alongsideNoor Jehan ,who played the titular Anarkali.^[6][5] For the next two years, Ara went on to star in a few films, but none of them were a major success at the box office, includingWaah Re Zamanay,Raaz, andAlam Ara. However, in 1960, a substantial role inS. M. Yusuf'sSaheli as anamnesiac bride proved to be a breakthrough for her career.^[4][7][8] The filming of the songMujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob Na Maang (a poem written by renowned Pakistani poetFaiz Ahmed Faiz and sung by MadamNoor Jehan) withRasheed Attre's music in the filmQaidi (1962), had everyone talking about her. Women had begun mimicking her speech, her make-up, and her hairstyle.^[5] She had become a household name. Her fame and impeccable acting skills landed her the title character in the filmNaila (1965), the first color film produced in then-West Pakistan. Her portrayal of the tragicNaila won her further critical acclaim. She went on to star in many hit films, includingDevdas,Doraha,andHamraz. However,Qaidi (1962),Chingari (1964),Farangi (1964),Naila (1965),Aag Ka Darya (1966),Lakhon Mein Aik (1967),Saiqa (1968), andSalgira (1968) were landmarks in her career, securing her a position as the top actress of the 1960s inLollywood.^[5]

Her acting career came to a halt when she retired as a leading lady in the early 1970s.^[4] But that did not stop her from being a part of thePakistani film industry, as she pioneered to produce and direct films on her own. However, none of those films reached the level of success Shamim Ara had at the height of her acting career.

Jaidaad (1959) andTees Maar Khan (1989) were the only two Punjabi movies in which she performed.^[9]

In 1968, she produced her first filmSaiqa (1968 film) which was based on the novel byRazia Butt. The film attracted a large number of viewers especially females.^[5][7]

In 1976, for the first time, she directed the filmJeo Aur Jeenay Do (1976). Later, she also directed the Diamond Jubilee filmMunda Bigra Jaye (1995). Other films she directed includePlayboy (1978),Miss Hong Kong (1979),Miss Singapore (1985),Miss Colombo (1984),Lady Smuggler (1987),Lady Commando (1989),Aakhri Mujra (1994),Baita (1994),Haathi Mere Saathi,Munda Bigra Jaye (1995),Hum To Chaley Susral (1996),Miss Istanbul (1996),Hum Kisi Say Kum Nahin (1997),Love 95 (1996), andPal Do Pal (1999).^[5][7] Her directorial ventures were not as successful as her acting projects, primarily due to not dwelling on the real issues and adapting the formula style of filmmaking.^[10]

Shamim Ara was married four times. Her first husband (and perhaps patron) was Sardar Rind, a landlord of Balochistan, who died in a car accident. She then married Abdul Majid Carim, the scion of the family that runs Agfa Color Film Company. They had a son, Salman Majid Carim (who was to be her only child), but the marriage ended in divorce. Her third marriage was to Fareed Ahmed, a film director and the son of the film directorW.Z. Ahmed. That marriage, too, ended in divorce after only 3 days.^[4] Shamim Ara later marriedPakistani film director and writer Dabeer-ul-Hassan.^[11] They lived inLahore until 2005, when she and Salman Majeed Carim (her son by a previous marriage) moved to London, while her husband remained in Pakistan.^[3]

During a visit to Pakistan, she suffered a brain hemorrhage on 19 October 2010^[7] and was taken back to London for treatment. She remained in and out of hospital for six years and was cared for by her only son, Salman Majid Carim, who has not inherited anything from his father and is self- made working in the IT industry and also property development. Shamim Ara died on 5 August 2016 in a hospital in London after a very long illness.^[2][3][5][7]

Her only son led the funeral arrangements, and she was buried in the UK.^[7]

On receiving the news of her death, film actressResham stated that she only worked with Shamim Ara in a few films but that she left a lasting impression of a soft-spoken and humble person.^[3]

• List of Lollywood actors

• Shamim Ara atIMDb

• 1938 births
• People from Aligarh
• Pakistani film actresses
• Pakistani women film directors
• Punjabi-language film directors
• Pakistani film producers
• Muhajir people
• Nigar Award winners
• 2016 deaths
• Film directors from Lahore
• Actresses from Lahore
• 20th-century Pakistani actresses
• Pakistani film directors
• 21st-century Pakistani actresses
• Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom
• Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
• Urdu-language film directors
• Lux Style Award winners

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